


Braaxi Goes Shopping! (Oneshot)

by luminoussalt



Category: Just Roll With It (Podcast)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, everyone else is mentioned here, i dont know how ao3 works, i meant this to be fluff but there are too many words for that oops, jrwi spoilers for things up to ep 29 of arc 2 btw, probably will tag more when i think about it, taxi and braad go clothes shopping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:02:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25482856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luminoussalt/pseuds/luminoussalt
Summary: This is like if they had another stop and decided to check out some shops before getting to mountain's city with cedric. Spoilers for ep 29!
Relationships: Taxi/Br'aad Vengolor
Kudos: 25





	Braaxi Goes Shopping! (Oneshot)

A faint breeze came through the open windows of the tavern room where a bored blonde half-elf lay on his bed, trying to think up what to do this late afternoon. His brother was brooding in his room and was going to be no help and no answer to his boredom like he could’ve been back before the demon shenanigans started. The other crew members didn't really go with his plans the way he wanted; Mountain was too violent and impulsive, Velrisa’s moral compass was no fun, and Captain Cedric seemed uninterested in or too busy for hijinks. That left the guy who has gone along pretty well for his “crusades,” and had his back if he wasn’t doing so well: Taxi. 

Without even having a plan in hand, he sat up from the bed and headed over to Taxi’s door. Just to fool around with him, he tried to deepen his voice and knocked on his door aggressively. 

“That’ll make him jump!” Br’aad slyly said to himself and announced to the door gruffly: “This is inspector Wattkins. We suspect you have illegal items in your room! Put your weapons away and your hands up.” Br’aad snickered quietly to himself in the dramatic pause he made, and then kicked open the door. 

“OPEN UP!” He yelled, and held his hands in finger guns, pointing them wildly all over the room, searching for Taxi.

There, in the corner of the room was Taxi, whose hair stood on end, and eyes were wide with fear. But seeing it was just Br’aad fucking with him made him let out a heavy sigh of both relief and weariness. 

“What. The fuck??” He exasperatedly asked, gesturing towards Br’aad vaguely angrily. He looked drained and fed up, but the way that Br’aad was rapidly approaching him filled him with worry. 

“Taxi, we _need_ to go right now or else,” he quickly said, grabbed Taxi’s arm, and led him out of the door briskly. 

As Taxi was being guided through the halls to the door, he desperately asked for answers, trying to get Br’aad to stop dragging him along to Nula knows where. “Wait wait wait! Slow down! Br’aad you literally just burst in with some act and then start dragging me somewhere! What are we doing? What do you want?” 

Thankfully, Br’aad halted in the common area and looked at him in the eyes. “I am bored out of my fucking _skull_ Taxi. We have been in this city for DAYS and nothing has happened. Let's explore or something!” He deadpanned. To top it all off, he looked at him pleadingly like he had practiced many times for a con, although this was from a much more genuine place. And Taxi knew after multiple times of bad decisions that were started by that face that he couldn’t resist. It was Br’aad after all. So what’s the harm in going shopping for something with your good friend?

Subconsciously, Taxi slipped his hand into Br’aad’s as they walked out of the tavern towards the marketplace, enjoying the light breeze and the warm sun on the streets of the city. There was chatter all around them from people of elven descent, halflings, and some gnomes. The stone road clicked under the shoes of those around them, and a horse whinnied somewhere off to the side as the pair arrived at the marketplace.

Taxi at this point noticed that Br’aad was lightly swinging their arms and softly smiled at the seemingly endless energy of his pretty elf friend, quickly glancing at his face to read his expression. Br’aad looked up at Taxi, his face changing from thinking to having an idea of what they were doing.  
  
“How about we look for new outfits? It would be funny to see you in a shirt for a change,” he suggested, looking at Taxi for a second too long. Or maybe that’s what Taxi imagined. But before he could think about it more, he was already being led to a shop.

It was a decently sized shop, with a storefront that looked residential, but the entrance to it had chimes on it for whenever someone opened the door. Probably due to the lack of fresh air being let into the establishment, the smell of dust was also present in the air. Taxi didn’t mind this when he was with Br’aad. Usually, with him, everything was either stressful or slightly chaotic, but he didn’t mind too much in the end. The whole burst of baking inspiration _was_ slightly scarring for him, but hey! They made some cakes, muffins, and scones together.

A confident voice broke the dusty air’s silence. “Hello! Welcome to the Clothing Crossroads, do you know what you’re looking for?” 

At this, Taxi froze, realizing that he was depending on Br’aad to speak and looked at him to say something to cut their silence. _He_ was the man with the plan. “Yes….. we are looking for… something a bit fancy,” Br’aad glanced, across the stacks of clothes as unsurely made as his voice was.

The person laughed politely, picking up on the indecisive tone in his voice. “That’s alright if you and your partner don’t know what exactly you need, just pipe up and give me a shout! I’ll just be sitting here anyway.” 

Br’aad felt his face flush as he called them partners and looked at their interwoven hands. “Oh! Well… we uh. W-we’re not partners! Just uh, good buds!” 

He fiddled with the corner of his vest and felt his hands sweat. The employee of the store just shrugged and apologized for the assumption, and got back to reading his book that he was before. “I’m gonna go uh... look for some clothes-” Br’aad started to say, letting the words tumble out messily, pointing backward at the piles of clothes with his thumb.

“M-me too. I think that’s a good idea for now.” Taxi interrupted him, hurriedly taking his slightly sweaty hand out of Br’aad’s. 

They went separate ways in the store to find whatever would suit thems, regaining their dignity and trains of thought. After a few minutes, Br’aad found what he was looking for Taxi, although instead of just a shirt, he found a whole outfit for him to try on. It was decent compared to what Taxi thought he would pick out for a man who wears loose pants and a vest. Taxi felt a bit hesitant for the clothes he chose for Br’aad as a joke, hoping to get him back for the scare and the sudden plans he was dragged into and not piss him off. All that Br’aad was worried about was how much lacing up this outfit required and wasn’t too pressed about the fashion statement he was making for himself or Taxi.

After a healthy dose of awkward silence, they had both walked up to each other and handed the outfits to each other. Another beat of silence passed as they stared at the folded parts of what they were handed, and they gave each other embarrassed smiles. “This would look good on you if you needed to go to some fancy place or something again,” Br’aad said as he handed the clothes to him, feeling the zing of static from Taxi’s fur as their hands touched for a moment during the exchange.

Taxi nodded, “And I have a feeling that this would look... nice on you, Br’aad,” with an intonation like he was going to laugh for some reason. He brushed it off as just a weird Taxi thing since the only suspicious detail to him was a garment he was handed did not feel like linen. But, this was his best friend who had the best for him in his mind! And with that, there was also something a bit deeper which Br’aad was pushing down as to why he was so inclined to trust and be drawn to Taxi. But that was for another day.

He looked at Taxi and nodded toward the changing room, “How about _you_ go first? It probably has more pieces than what I have here!” 

Taxi looked at him suspiciously and walked into the changing room. He took off his poncho and skillfully avoided looking at himself in the mirror, still uncomfortable with how he looked like, not being able to reach what he wanted to look like yet. If he kept following the regimen the instructor advised him to follow, then maybe he would be finally satisfied with his body. “But until then…” he thought to himself, putting the shirt Br’aad suggested on. It was a warm white long-sleeved tunic with ruffled cuffs and a bit of a ruffled collar to decorate the shirt. The vest that went over it was the centerpiece of the outfit, colored a plum velvet with golden thread embellishments of flowers and swirls. He was impressed by Br’aad’s supposed hidden sense of fashion. It must’ve been a miracle from his patron god!

As soon as he put on the black cotton pants which rested comfortably and formally on his legs, he tucked in the shirt and looked at himself in the mirror. He was shocked at what or who looked back at him; a fancily dressed tabaxi looking out of place. Ever since growing up alone in the jungle with so much regret and stowed anger following him around, he would’ve never expected to see himself so adorned like this. Newfound respect grew for Br’aad, and he stepped out of the dressing room, a nervous yet excited half-smile on his face.

Br’aad’s head lifted from fiddling with minor illusion to make the bugs on the floor look sparkly, and his whole expression jumped from slightly amused to starstruck. Taxi immediately felt self-conscious and like he did something wrong as Br’aad put his hands over his reddening face. The tips of his ears were turning red and he croaked out some compliments through his fingers.

“T-that looks great on you, Saxi! Uh… how do you feel?”

“It feels very… alien,” he admitted and tensed up, trying to make his words sound nicer, “B-but I like it! I-it’s good!” 

Still through his fingers, Br’aad responded, “G-great! I’m glad! I’m wanna try on some clothes now, so can you maybe c-change back?”

“S-sure…” Taxi confusedly responded, going back inside the room, leaving Br’aad to reveal his strawberry red face. He couldn’t deal with his feelings pragmatically if Taxi strode out of the room like some sort of nobleman. The intemperance he felt to just confess to him was overwhelming at that point but he didn’t want to get rejected and pushed aside awkwardly. 

The moment when Taxi stepped out again in his normal clothes, Br’aad felt a small wave of relief wash over him and was able to function properly again. Usually, when he had feelings for someone like _that,_ it felt like he had fallen off a high place and faceplanted painfully into the floor. With Taxi it was sometimes like that, but otherwise, it felt like he was gently floating down a river and was able to enjoy the ride.

He didn’t anticipate for Taxi to hug him a minute after getting out of the dressing room, but let the momentary warmth sink in. Taxi didn’t realize this was happening himself, but his appreciation for Br’aad inadvertently heightening his confidence about himself was overwhelming and he wanted to return the favor. Awkwardly moving back though, he realized he never really told Br’aad about his past, and this saccharine gesture didn’t make much sense without it. “S-sorry I just wanted to thank you,” he nervously muttered, “I think that outfit gave me some perspective on myself in a way? Like I could be cooler?”

Br’aad patted Taxi on the back warmly and went to the dressing room, shooting him some finger guns. Taxi, of course, finger gunned him back this time.

In the dressing room, Br’aad held the shirt out in front of him, amazed at how this was just a vest but tied together to be a shirt. Sure, it had a collar, but the somewhat stiff yet flexible lace-up top would be a pain to put on each day if it wasn’t already pre-tied up.

“Man, Taxi, I feel like a turtle getting into this shirt!” He jokingly exclaimed, only receiving a chuckle in response.

Next were the pants. Oh, man. Alongside choosing a weird shirt, Taxi decided that giving him black leather pants was a good idea. They were a bit difficult to put on but felt alright compared to his usual baggy pants. 

Looking at himself in the mirror, he realized it wasn’t half too bad! The light greyish blue of the vest matched the black leather pants, and it made him look good by showing off his leg definition and his arms, even if he didn’t do any hard exercise. 

“Ya ready, Taxi?” He asked, posing behind the curtain already.

“As I’ll ever be!” The tabaxi’s voice shouted. He was highly unsure of what the ridiculous shirt and pants he chose would look like on Br’aad.

“Then check,” he swiftly pulled the curtain aside, “THIS!”

Br’aad felt Taxi look him up and down 3 times, and suddenly starting coughing. Or was that choking? Yeah, that was choking. Oh no.

He quickly ran up to Taxi and bent his back over slightly to get better leverage, and hit the heel of his palm between him shoulderblades like he learned to do from Velrisa in case anyone choked on whatever they baked. This commotion alerted the store clerk, who was glad to see Br’aad helping out Taxi. 

“Woah there, you guys ok?” He asked with a bit of surprise on his face. 

Br’aad laughed a bit, making sure Taxi was indeed ok before responding. “Yeah, seems like the gods suddenly decided it was his time or something,” he casually shrugged. Taxi just gave a thumbs up. 

“Oh! By the way, that outfit looks nice, maybe you can try out a coat with that?” The man added, giving a wink.

“Eh. I wasn’t really planning on buying this…” He said, watching the man walk back to his little desk.

The sudden protectiveness swirled up in Taxi from such an offhand comment, but through his last few coughs and wiping the tears away from his eyes, he shot a glare to the man as he was walking away. Taxi tried his best to try and shove the heavy negative feelings down, but seeing Br’aad in this super hot joke outfit skyrocketed his feelings for him at that moment.

Br’aad slowly positioned Taxi back to his normal stature and looked him in the eyes. There was the usual playfulness and good humor in his purple eyes which Taxi had treasured, but under it all was concern. 

“I’m gonna change, these pants are starting to stick to my legs.”

“A-alright.” He mumbled out, not sure what else to say. 

Taxi placed his clothes back where they came from despite his compulsive need to spite the man who flirted with Br’aad. Giving him another glare when he wasn’t looking, Taxi then met up with Br’aad at the curtain of the dressing room.

They both walked out of the store in uncomfortable silence and Br’aad was trying his best to discern what was wrong with Taxi. He asked him if he was hungry or tired, but he just shot his questions down and continued to walk back to the tavern they were staying at. His grip on Br’aad’s hand was more intense as he mulled over what he would say to him when his feelings were so onerous to hold back.

Now Br’aad was starting to grow frustrated but tried to keep his temper. “Seriously, Taxi, what’s wrong? I just wanted to have some fun, but you’re kinda pissing on the parade right now!” 

Taxi simply sighed heavily, “Just. Let me explain in a bit.” He was hoping he could clear his mind up and make a proper excuse for his behavior when they got to the tavern, but it seemed like Br’aad wanted answers now.

Br’aad huffed incredulously at Taxi’s insistence on stalling them. This was the last straw for Taxi’s rationality, and he suddenly stopped walking. 

“You know what? Just follow me and I’ll explain,” he sternly said, heading into a fairly empty side alley without much foot traffic. Br’aad tries to push away the fear from his flashbacks of the alleyways that doomed Sylnan once before. This is just a normal alley, and Taxi is a good friend who would never hurt him. Right?

They both stop in the middle of the alley, and the anxiety is growing in Br’aad as Taxi grabs him lightly by the shoulders. “I just.” He tries to explain, but falls short and leans forward, placing a light kiss on Br’aad’s forehead, as something he has wanted to do for a while. 

Thankfully for Taxi, Br’aad says nothing and relaxes to Taxi’s soft surprise, still searching for an answer. He’s stunned; his thoughts are going a million miles per hour from surprise and happiness, and one thought rings in his mind: “He likes me back.” He doesn’t notice it himself as he’s momentarily a statue but his face is growing red again, and Taxi realizes that his feelings are reciprocated as well!

Taxi takes a step back from Br’aad to let him recoup and softly rambled. “Sorry, I’ve just been feeling about you like this for meanwhile, Br’aad. I didn’t mean to be so…” he trails off into thought, seeing a small smile begin to form on Br’aad’s face again, “I was really possessive about you, and I apologize for that. You’re your own person and you can handle yourself so-”

This time, he was cut off by Br’aad leaning forward, and pulling his face to his. It was a soft and reassuring kiss that made Taxi feel like everything was alright. Taxi put his hands on Br’aad’s waist to pull him closer, feeling him smile in the kiss. 

“You know… you could be my prince.” Br’aad smirked, seeing Taxi become flustered. He reached up and scratched behind his ear, knowing from multiple experiences of trial and error with him that Taxi was quite cat-like in some ways.

As Taxi purred, Br’aad took his hand with a sizeable amount of alacrity. “Let’s go back to the tavern! I need to.. Scheme.” Taxi laughed a bit at Br’aad’s over-exaggeration of just planning out more things to do and squeezed his hand, purring contently.

**Author's Note:**

> This is also a bit of a warmup for getting back into writing + using some cool words! I hope ya enjoyed!! Have a good day :}


End file.
